4P

History PT
- Bolshevik Revolution Oct 1917
Why did the Bolsheviks receive more support from the people than the PG (Provisional Government) did?
Thangavel Sharan (26) and Hu Jingyi Alvin (12)

25th April 2012 4P

Source A : Photograph of Lenin addressing a crowd. -From Britannica.com, an online archive

This photograph, a primary source from the time of the revolution, is one that depicts lenin addressing the masses of the country, from behind a raised platform. It is an original photograph from Britannica.com, an online archive and hence we can trust this source to be accurate in the information it is trying to relay to us, as it is the actual reality of 1917 that we are seeing in this picture. From this photograph, we can infer how Lenin, a Bolshevik leader, had a lot of support from different kinds of people, as can be seen from the extensive crowd that had gathered around him. They all seem to be looking up at him, listening to his speech, and this shows how much regard they had for Lenin and the Bolsheviks. In the crowd itself, it can also be seen how different kinds of people are present. For example, there are sailors, those donning white caps (bottom of picture), the soldiers, those with more rigidly-shaped brown hats (left hand side of picture), and the commoners, who are either not wearing any hat, or are wearing other casual hats. From this it can be seen how Lenin and the Bolsheviks received much support from all kinds of people, each due to their own reasons. The presence of these different groups of people can be justified historically as well. After the military collapse in October, the army became incapable of fighting further, partly due to hunger which was prevalent at that period of time. They despised the Provisional Government, which had insisted on continuing the war, which resulted in much losses. Hence they started supporting the Bolsheviks, as they realised it was the only hope they had, to get away from the PG, whose decisions had resulted in much loss for them. The support of these soldiers is reflected here, in them attending Lenins public speech.

Source B : An abstract from Leon Trotskys book, History of the Russian Revolution http://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1930/hrr/ch15.htm :
This readiness to submit silently, or with reservations, to the government of the bourgeoisie did not have by any means the entire sympathy of the party. The Bolshevik workers met the Provisional Government from the first as a hostile rampart unexpectedly grown up in their path. The Vyborg Committee held meetings of thousands of workers and soldiers, which almost unanimously adopted resolutions on the necessity for a seizure of power by the soviets. An active participant in this agitation, Dingelstedt, test ifies: There was, not one meeting, not one workers meeting, which would have voted down such a resolution from us if there had only been somebody to present it. The Mensheviks and Social Revolutionaries were afraid in those first days to appear openly before audiences of workers and soldiers with their formulation of the question of power. A resolution of the Vyborg workers, in view of its popularity, was printed and pasted up as a placard. But the Petrograd Committee put an absolute ban upon this resolution, and the Vyborg workers were compelled to submit.

Source B is a primary source, an abstract from a history book, History of the Russian Revolution, by Leon Trotsky. Trotsky, a Bolshevik general, was a strong supporter of Lenin and the Bolsheviks. Hence, he might be biased towards the Bolsheviks, in writing his book. His main purpose of writing this, might have been to stress on the negatives of the Provisional Governments rule, possibly in an exaggerated manner. Therefore, this source can only be trusted to a certain extent, according to provenance. This source tells us about how the Bolshevik workers and soldiers despised the rule of the Provisional Government, as can be seen from the use of phrases such as hostile rampart unexpectedly grown up in their path. The Vyborg workers preferred the rule of the soviets very much, to the rule of the Provisional Government and they even held several workers meetings among themselves, eventually coming to the decision of presenting their opposition to the PGs rule, via a placard. By October 25th in Moscow alone, thirty-eight plants representing 54,000 workers had already written resolutions calling for transferring all power to the soviets. It is later said that the PG put a ban upon this resolution of theirs for Soviet rule, and the Vyborg workers were compelled to submit. This shines light on the strict nature of PG and how the people had to fully submit to its authority, regardless of their personal views or opinions. They had neither rights nor say. This could be a reason as to why the people so despised the PG, and supported the Bolsheviks instead. This whole issue of the workers hatred towards the PG is historically accurate, as the PG did nothing about the worsening economy, which contributed to the radicalisation of the workers. This situation was made worse by the PG refusing to give the people of Russia the degree of autonomy, which they deserved as civilians of a country.

Source C: A picture from 1917, of the Bolsheviks led by Lenin, and the masses.

Source C is a primary source, an original photograph from 1917 and hence it is reliable in terms of provenance as it is past reality that we are seeing in this picture. No opinions or points of view are introduced via alterations to the picture. This picture is a depicts a large crowd consisting of the Bolsheviks led by Lenin, and their followers, the people of Russia who were dissatisfied with the rule of the Provisional Government. They are all carrying flags and placards to show their displeasure towards the rule of the Provisional Government and their wish to have the Soviets in power. The two flags on the right side of the picture contain the words Peace, Bread and All Power to the Soviets, the Bolsheviks slogan which attracted much of the Russian population. From the large number of people in this picture, it can be seen how there was extensive unhappiness among the masses with the Provisional Governments rule. Lenin is standing in front of the crowd, which signifies that he was leading them, and that the people supported him. This is historically accurate, given that Lenin and the Bolsheviks were more well-liked by the public, than the Provisional government was. Their slogan in the flags too, fitted in well with what the people of Russia badly wanted. A stop to war, food, and a good government. Cross Referencing to Source B, we can see how the peoples hatred towards the PG is justified. From source B it can be seen how the PG exercised total control over the people, and also how as a result the workers rose up against it, coming up with their resolution. The peoples opinions and rights were suppressed by the PG, thus leading to their hatred towards him. The peasants believed that with the Tsars dismissal, they would finally get to own their own land. However, the provisional government would not give it to them and this infuriated the peasants even further. Hence,this source is highly accurate in its depiction of Russia during the Bolshevik revolution, and thus is useful in telling us about the peoples hatred towards the PG, and support for the Bolsheviks.

Learning Points
Through this project, we have learnt a considerable amount of knowledge about Bolshevik strengths and the Provisional Governmentss weaknesses. The April Theses issued by Lenin upon his return to Petrograd is just one such fact we got to know further about, thanks to this project. Additionally, through these additional details, we were able to examine the Bolsheviks in a more detailed manner through the many sites we visited and learned how to judge differing sources on the internet, which contained various points of views. For example, those of the soldiers, peasants and Trotsky even. We also managed to experience the feelings of the public during the October Revolution itself through the videos we watched, and thus we were able to much better understand the period of time around the October Revolution. All these would definitely not have been possible if not for this project.

Bibiliography
Brittanica.com. 20 Apr. 2012. < http://media-1.web.britannica.com/eb-media/06/96106-00441CCE366.jpg>. Smele, Dr Jonathan. "War and Revolution in Russia 1914 - 1921." World Wars. 3 Oct. 2011. BBC History. 18 Apr. 2012. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/eastern_front_01.shtml>. Trotsky, Leon. "Chapter 15 - The Bolsheviks and Lenin." The History of the Russian Revolution. Haymarket Books, 2007. <http://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1930/hrr/ch15.htm>. "Lenin and the Bolsheviks." The Russian Revolution (1917-1918). Sparknotes. 18 Apr. 2012. <http://www.sparknotes.com/history/european/russianrev/section3.rhtml>. Veseth, Michael. Introduction to International Political Economy. 19 Apr. 2012. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/commandingheights/shared/minitextlo/ess_leninscritique.html>. Klionsky, Alla. "Leadership and Power." 19 Apr. 2012. <http://cobweb2.louisville.edu/faculty/regbruce/bruce/rflct600/alla2.htm>. Vladmir Lenin Quotes. 21 Apr. 2012. < http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/v/vladimir_lenin.html>.